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"punch (blow with the fist)" in seven languages

Meaningpunch (blow with the fist)

Spanish

puñetazo

/puɲeˈtaθo/

masc.inherited

Built on puño 'fist' with the blow suffix -azo.

French

coup de poing

/ku də pwɛ̃/

masc.inherited

Literally 'blow of fist'; poing is the fist.

Italian

pugno

/ˈpuɲɲo/

masc.inherited

Means both the fist and the punch.

Portuguese

soco

/ˈsoku/

masc.other source · of uncertain origin

Romanian

pumn

/pumn/

masc.inherited

Pumn is literally 'fist'; a da un pumn is 'to punch'.

Catalan

cop de puny

/kɔp də puɲ/

masc.inherited

English

punch

/pʌntʃ/

other source · Old French poinçonner 'to prick, stamp' (Latin PUNCTIŌNEM)

English → Italianpunch (blow with the fist)pugnoNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh. But English has relatives: pugnacious, pugilist.What English and Italian share

The Latin ancestor

PUGNUM‘fist’

All six sisters descend from it, unless marked otherwise below.

The story

PUGNUM 'fist' gave puño, poing and pugno, its gn turning into the ñ/gn sound. Italian lets the fist stand for the blow; Spanish and French build a word for it. English punch is unrelated: it first meant 'to prick'.

English relatives: pugnacious, pugilist

Sound laws at work

NN, GN and N + yod

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In a sentence

  • esLe dio un puñetazo en la nariz.
  • frIl lui a donné un coup de poing sur le nez.
  • itGli ha dato un pugno sul naso.
  • ptEle deu um soco no nariz dele.
  • roI-a dat un pumn în nas.
  • caLi va donar un cop de puny al nas.
  • enHe gave him a punch on the nose.

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